Closure and vent for batteries



Dec. 14, 1954 J. K. SHANNON 2,697,129

CLOSURE AND VENT FOR BATTERIES 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 19, .T953

hcj 27 |NveNToR Jol-N SHANNON '111/1111 l r l' AT TORNEYS Dec. 14, 1954 J. K. sHANNoN 2,697,129

CLOSURE AND VENT FOR BATTERIES Filed March 19, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNvr-:NToR JOHN N. SHANNON ATTORNEYS United States Patent O CLGSURE AND VENT FOR BATTERIES John K. Shannon, Kenosha, Wis.

Application March 19, 1953, Serial No. 343,450

2 Claims. (Cl. 1156-178) This invention appertains to storage batteries and more particularly to closures for the venting and filling openings of storage battery covers.

ln general storage battery practice; the covers of the storage batteries are provided with filling openings and these openings are in turn closed by removable vented plugs. ln order to fill the battery with electrolyte or to test the electrolyte or the amount thereof in a battery, it is necessary to unthread these plugs from the walls of the openings. This not only requires time, but danger of losing the plugs is always present. In the machine filling of the batteries during manufacture and the replenishing of water from time to time during use of the battery, the battery is liable to be'over-filled (there being a desired electrolyte level in batteries)` It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of this invention to provide a novel closure for the filling openings of storage batteries, which is associated with the battery cover at all times and which can be moved to open and close the filling opening by the mere operation of a finger.

Another salient object of the invention is to provide novel means for insuring the proper venting of the battery when the closures are in their closed positions and for providing condensation chambers constituting a part of the venting means for insuring the dripping of water of condensation back into the battery.

A further object of my invention is the provision of means for closing the venting openings when the closures are in their open position for filling the battery, whereby when the electrolyte reaches a certain level and to the depending thimbles surrounding the filling openings, further filling of the battery will be automatically stopped and excess electrolyte will merely rise in the filling openings indicating further supply of electrolyte should be stopped.

A still further object of my invention is to provide means for holding the closures in their opened or closed positions against accidental movement.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel arrangement, construction and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary top plan view of a cover constructed in accordance with my invention, applied to a battery and showing one of my improved closures, the closure being shown in its closed venting position, parts of the view being shown broken away and in section to illustrate structural detail.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the closure in its open position.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Figure l, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the closure in its closed venting position.

Figure 4 is a similar sectional view, but taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the closure in its open position for filling and with the vent closed.

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 but taken on the line S-5 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows illustrating the means employed for holding the closure in its opened or closed position against accidental movement.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken at right angles to Figure 5 and on the line 6 6 of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows.

f. ICC

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Figure 3, but showing a slightly modified form of the invention.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 and showing the closure of the modified form in its open position.

Figure 9 is a sectional view similar to Figure 7 but showing a still further modified form of my invention. Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9, but showing the closure of the still further modified form in its open position.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter B generally indicates a storage battery and C the cover therefor.

The battery B can be of a type now found on the open market and will not be described in detail.

The cover C is formed from dielectric material and preferably of thermoplastic, and is of a general character shown in the Shannon and Schmit Patent No. 2,6l8,673, issued November 18, 1952. In this patent mold cavities were shown for the connecting straps of the lugs of battery plates, and this cover was preferably, but not necessarily, formed in upper and lower plates or sections heat sealed together to form a homogeneous or unitary cover structure. In this present invention, the cover C can be formed in the same manner, and hence includes a lower plate section 15 and an upper plate section 16, united by heat sealing or other method to form the desirable unitary structure. In accordance with this invention, interior cavities 17 are formed between the plates 15 and 16 above each battery cell and these cavities 17 constitute condensation chambers, as will later appear. Extending through the cavities 17 are filling openings 18 for the cells of a battery and the openings 18 are surrounded by depending thimbles or skirts 19, for a purpose which will also later appear. The openings 18 open out through the upper face of the cover, and each opening at this point is enlarged, as at 20. A closure gate 21 is provided for each opening 18 and the gate can be mounted either for sliding movement or swinging movement over and away from an opening 18. In the present instance the closure gate 21 is slidably mounted toward and away from its opening 18 between the plates 15 and 16 of the cover C. To guide the closure in its sliding movement, the upper wall of the cavity, namely, the lower face of the plate 16, is provided with depending spaced parallel longitudinally extending guide tracks 22. These guide tracks are spaced apart a distance equal to the width of the closure 21, and stop walls 23 and 24 can be provided at the ends of the tracks. Thus, the closure 21 is effectively guided in its sliding movement back and forth and is limited in such sliding movement. Formed on the closure is an upstanding manipulating finger piece 25 and by grasping the finger piece, the closure can be moved over or across the opening 18 or completely away from the opening.

In order to bring about the venting of the battery B when the closure 2l is over the opening 18 the lower wall of the cavity 17 or the plate 15 is provided with a vent opening 26. As the guide tracks 22 are above the lower wall of the cavity, a circulation of air can take place in the cavity around the closure 21. The closure itself is provided with a vent opening 27 which communicates with the cavity and opens out into the atmosphere through the finger piece Z5.

By referring to Figure 4, it can be seen that when the closure plate 21 is in its open position away from the filling opening 18, that the same closes the vent opening 26 in the cover.

Means is provided for holding the closure 21 against accidental movement both in its open position and in its closed position. In the present instance, this as accomplished by providing ribs 28 on the lower face of the tracks 22 for a portion of their lengths, and these ribs define stop shoulders 29 at their terminals. The closure 21 is provided with laterally extending pins 30 which ride under the ribs during the sliding of the closure. When the closure is in its fully closed position, the' pins 30 engage the forward stop shoulders 29, and when the closure is in its fully opened position, the pins 30 engage the rear stop shoulders 29.

As heretofore brought out, the cavities 17 constitute condensation chambers vfor each cell, and obviously,'dur ing the venting of a cell condensation can collect in each cavity and drain back into a cell through a vent opening 26. `Withthe closure iniitsI closed `position theventing of 4the battery isuthroughuthe.'ventropenings26lfint the cavities I7, around the closure and through the vent-"27.

-With theclosure 2lv=open forlling or-testingl'thebattery the vent opening 26 is closed, as heretofore stated. t Considering that the electrolyte is. beingfintroducedffinto a cell, itl can be seen that, .as the liquid. ,levell reaches the thimble or skirt;.19, a cell.fwill bey closedvrand additional zwaten or` electrolyte willfmerely risein thezthimble, preventing over-lling of a cell. This is causednbytvthe trapping ofthe airtin thegtcell.

Obv1ously, ,theclosure `can take various iormsiand the venting of a cellv of-,a rbattery.can'be-:broughtlaboutnin different manners.

.In Figures Tand 8,; Lhave showna slightly modified means for venting a c1ell,; andgin this formgtherupper. wall vof theV cavities Vlorthe top,platerl. of the cover C, `-can be` provided with a ventopeningl directly aboventhe vent opening 26 and the Ventvopening y27Y inthe. closure k21 can be eliminated. VAs best` shown inFigure 7when the closure 21 is over theopeningy 1S,V the venting ,oa

.cell will take place ythrough opening 26,; Cavity.17\and the cover land this passageway opensvoutthroughthe.lower face of the closure. The cover itselin this instance is 4not providedwith any vent openings. As shownin Figure 9, with the closureZl-across the opening 18, the passageway 33 communicates with 2the opening and allows the venting of a cell kthrought/entA port/32. When the closure 21 is open, as shown in Eigure l0, the lateral passageway 33, and consequently thel'port 32, is closed.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that I have provided a simple 'closure'for'thelling openings of batteries, and with the closure so arranged relative to the cover that venting of the cells is assured when the lling openings are closed. Great stress is laid on the electrolyte level control during filling, and rthe fact that the vent for each cell is closed when a filling opening is uncovered.

Various changes in details-may be made without departing romthe spirit onthe. scope of this invention, but what IL claim* asnewis:

l. In a storagebattery; a covenhavingtaacondensation chamber therein and a"illing opening opening out to the atmosphere through :.the .jchamber,w and ,a closurerrnovable in the chamber over the opening for closing the same and away from thetopening-Lfor' illingthe'battery, and means for venting through the cover when the closure is in its closed position and means for preventing said venting when the closure is in its open position.

l.. In a battery,-al coverfhavingtanfinteriortcondensation chamber and: a` llingI -openingaopeninguout into the iatmosphere through the chamber, theuuppers'wall .of.;the-

.condensation chambernhaving f a t guide ftrack, a sliding closure'. in said; chamben guided by `said track; and movable .over thea-.llingaopeningtlfor sealingt thessametand away yfrom the llinglopening ,forrope'ningt the same, :saidcover having a, vent,` opening communicatingnwitlr ,ithe chamber adapted .to be. closedrbyf said. closure'fwhen-l sa1d' closure -isin its :open: postiontawaygfronr :the llingwopening.

References Citedinxthe iile of this patent UNITED STATES-PATENTS Number Name Date 1,269,096 Land Junell, 1918 1,378,549 Manchester et al.Y May 17, v1921 '2,220,005 Smith Oct. 29` 1940 2,506,952 Doughty May l9,` 1950 

